Eagle Eye  Mirror's Edge Crossover: Mirror's Eye
by BaconBlade
Summary: The world of Mirror's Edge is turned upside down by the very technology that creates its utopia like atmosphere thanks to a mysterious female hacker's agenda. As underground conflicts are brought to the surface, many people change.  Reviews are encouraged
1. Chapter 1

Mirror's Eye

CHAPTER I

Faith ducked and slid under a pipe. The yellow bag rattled as it dragged on the ground. As she broke into a full sprint, a bullet hit a wall a few meters behind her. It didn't faze her. The blues may be armed, but they can't see the flow. The beautiful way in which the city lived and pulsed with pathways and conduits, like veins and arteries of life: this was her weapon. What was in this package would end the regime that chose to cut so many of these veins and bleach away all life that this city once had. At least she told herself that with every delivery she made.

Merc warned her of the blues patrolling this route, and advised her to take a path around them. Faith knew the risk, and had been taken out of commission by a fall for a few months before thanks to a trigger happy cop grazing her arm and causing her to fall from a ledge. A total sense of apathy still prevailed over fear of injury. She needed to do her best, to relay messages, to deliver ingredients for the appetizer that would become a revolutionary main course.

"What if it's futile?" A dark voice questioned in the back of her head as she vaulted over a small fence and made her way down a fire escape and into a building. "What if you aren't fueling a revolution? You don't know what's really in these bags. What if you're delivering drugs? What if these assignments are really for the people responsible for the death of this city?"

" I know what runners are about. I know what I'm doing. I know what I run for." She silenced her fears as she dashed towards an elevator and hit the button. The doors slowly opened and she walked in, hitting the top floor button.

"**What if it's a trap?"**

Faith caught her breath. She took a swig of water from a flask she kept on her and leaned against the wall. She'd been lured into traps before, by blues, by rogue runners, by thugs, even by some sick rapist. She'd always gotten away without a scratch, but traps have ended too many runners' lives for her not to worry. Faith shadow boxed a little and steeled herself. If it was a trap, she'd be ready. The doors opened.

Faith bolted out and ran across the roof top. The sun was just starting to set. A pleasant red glow came from her peripheral vision. She saw the symbol of runners etched into an old sand bag. She dropped her bag, picked up a sizable wad of cash sitting underneath the sandbag, and started on her way back to H.Q.

"Nice work Faith. Geez, you just can't take the easy way can you?" Merc's voice buzzed in her ear. "You know me, I love a challenge Merc.". She smirked. She got a couple laughs out of shocking somebody who seems like he's seen it all.

"Yeah, well, you ought to be careful getting back. A chopper's been spo…*static* …ouple times in your area…*static* …ke care.". Odd. Interference rarely occurred.

Faith suspected tapping. "Merc, wait. Keep your mouth shut, I think somebody's trying to patch into our channel. Can you detect stuff like that?"

The only response she heard was silence, permeated by several bursts of static.

"Merc?"

"**You have been activated Faith. We are watching you," **An unknown, cold, female voice spoke to Faith on her earpiece.

"Who the hell are you?" She fired back, immediately threatened and ready for an immediate ambush by SWAT or worse, Pursuit police.

"**Do not ask questions. There is a helicopter approaching your location. Go back, retrieve the bag you just dropped, and head back into the building you just exited if you do not want to be arrested or killed. You have approximately eighty seconds before it reaches your destination," **The plainness and certainty with which the woman spoke was bone chilling.

Faith smelled a trap, but she knew that Merc had just mentioned a chopper in the area. She refused to take direct orders from some unknown voice, however, and ducked under a small nook between a large air conditioner and a wall. The sounds of chopper blades beating the air quickly grew loud and close. If she hadn't been warned, it could have chased her all night. Faith sat patiently in the crevice. Suddenly, dust and gravel were being kicked up around her, her hair and clothes blew violently in a strong wind. "Shit!" Faith spat out of adrenaline. The chopper was right above her, it's search light glaring at her through the evening air.

"**You have disobeyed. Retrieve the bag and-"**

Faith tore away her earpiece and tossed it off the roof as she took off running. She didn't calculate, she just ran, taking the obstacles as they came. The helicopter's speaker blared.

"_Attention runner, surrender immediately. Do not run, or we will open fire. Repeat, do not run, or we wi- _***static*... Retrieve the package now Faith. Follow orders and you as well as your comrades will not be targeted,**"

"How?"

The unfeeling authoritative voice that ordered her on her earpiece earlier was blaring from the helicopter's speakers.

Shocked and now operating on instinct, Faith headed towards her drop off point and retrieved her bag. Inside the helicopter, the pilots panicked. Something had gone screwy in their system as the computerized portions of their aircraft seemed to go haywire. The search light moved with a will of it's own, pointing out a small open air duct. Faith quickly slid under a hole in a fence and into the vent. The chopper immediately stabilized. Having lost its target, the helicopter immediately retreated.

Faith moved through the vent, wondering just what the hell was going on as she crawled.

Merc paced away in his headquarters, Faith's half of the pizza he ordered remaining untouched, his computer screen flickering on and off as it filled with more and more error messages.

"God dammit Faith, what have you gotten yourself into now…?" His worried tone betrayed his fatherly side. Without Faith on his mic, he had no reason to act as though he was not worried for her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Mirror's Eye**

"_America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."_

_**-Abraham Lincoln**_

CHAPTER II

Faith crawled on and on through the air duct, trying to make sense of what had just happened. It seemed like an ordinary run, then… what? As the adrenaline, panic, and confusion slowly waned, Faith began to question what she was delivering this run more than she had ever questioned any other. She considered stopping and opening it up for a moment before she passed over a young man in a suit in a rather cluttered cubicle, listening to his radio blaring announcements about the city. New laws, warnings about the "evil runner crime syndicate", news, and other crap like that. As she crawled on, Faith briefly remembered the days when music was played over the radio stations. As memories of better days flooded her, the radio suddenly muted itself. "Huh?" Faith and the cubicle prisoner both muttered simultaneously, one annoyed, one worried. Faith slid back towards the vent that gave her a clear view of the cubicle.

"Piece of shit" the young man hissed under his breath as he gave the radio a few smacks. Some loud static and a few long beeps were his reward. Then there came the voice, sending a small chill down Faith's spine.

"…**Faith. Three vents ahead, you are to exit and head for the elevator down the left hallway. Take it to the ground level. Move quickly, you do not have much time."**

"What the hell?"

Again, Faith and the young man spoke at the same time. Some juvenile part of her chuckled and was tempted to whisper "jinx" as she moved on to as the strange voice told her to. It seemed her crappy sense of humor would be her coping mechanism for being bossed around by an omnipresent hacker. It felt odd. She was normally quite dry, yet here she was in an air duct, chuckling deep down inside about a prank she only heard of in elementary school.

"Here we are… third vent." Faith whispered to herself. She was only just beginning to feel a sense of loneliness creep into her chest. As she kicked out the vent and hopped down, Faith looked out at the night sky from a nearby window, realizing just how alone she was starting to feel without Merc looking out for her from home. Faith sprinted down a hallway and made her way to the elevator. She pressed the call button and the doors opened surprisingly fast. As Faith stepped in and listened to the cheesy elevator music, she began to worry again. Despite trying to stem the flow of thoughts, her mental dam broke as worry flooded her mind.

"**What if this is a trap… for everyone?**"

Faith pondered the thought of the hacker forcing her to reveal the hideouts of every runner she'd ever met. She'd die before she'd betray her cause; her mind had been resolved to that ever since she learned of Jack Knife's switch to the blue side.

The elevator doors opened. Speaking of blues…

A police officer stood directly in front of Faith as the doors opened. Faith's hands moved before she thought, and faster than he could draw a breath, the cop was immediately on the floor, his gun removed from its holster and slid across the empty lobby's floor. Faith held the man's arm, prepared to break it.

"Wait! I know you're a runner, but just listen. This… this is gonna sound completely insane, but some lady called me on my cell phone. I was told to escort the woman who emerged from this elevator at this exact time to a certain location or my family would be killed. Please… let me go." The straining cop's voice sounded absolutely desperate.

As Faith slowly loosened her grip, a disgusted look on her face, a rather upbeat ringtone jingled from the cop's pocket.

Utilizing the distraction, the cop swept her legs and reached for his baton. Faith skillfully landed with her hands on the floor, one foot extended, the other bent, her body just above the ground. As the man prepared to subdue Faith, her left leg quickly swooped to his midsection as her right leg swung behind his knees, forcing him to the ground with an aggressive scissor takedown. The cop's baton left his hand as he fell, completely surprised. He scrambled towards it but Faith had already won. She stepped on his back and jerked her head in the direction of the cop's phone, which had tumbled out of his pocket during the scuffle, just next to his hand.

"Answer it," she said with more than enough contempt in her voice. The cop got to his knees and pulled his phone from his pocket. He pressed it briefly to his ear before holding it out towards Faith, his other hand up in surrender.

"It's the woman. …she wants to talk to you. You must be a part of this. If anything happens to my kids, I swear I'll-"

"Give me the phone."

Faith snatched the phone from his already offering hand. "Hello?"

"**Do not attack the officer again Faith. You are to head to the New City Mall. You will acquire a new radio and go straight to the subw-"**

Faith couldn't contain herself and cut off the voice. "Wait, how in the hell did you know that I hurt the blue?"

"**We are everywhere Faith. Do not ask questions. You will proceed from the mall to the subway and catch the next train to city hall. Once there, you are to await further instruction. Is that understood?"**

Faith gritted her teeth and considered her options. When she decided her next course of action, she flatly replied. "Understood," The woman immediately hung up.

"Ready to get going?" The cop smirked in Faith's direction. Faith glared back. She picked up the gun she liberated from him and prodded him in the chest with it as he grimaced and quietly hissed a swear under his breath Faith didn't care to hear.

"You bet I am," She grinned as she escorted the cop to his own cruiser, delighting at how the tables turned in this situation.


	3. Chapter 3

Mirror's Eye

Chapter III

"_Our country is now taking so steady a course as to show by what road it will pass to destruction, to wit: by consolidation of power first, and then corruption, its necessary consequence.__"_

**-Thomas Jefferson**

Faith trained her gun on the old cop throughout the entire ride. She wasn't quite sure what to do in her current situation. Her instincts screamed for her to never trust a cop, as evidenced by the warm red glow she kept spotting on the handles of the cruiser's doors. In the entirety of her life as a runner, she had always obeyed her runner's instincts, which eventually became manifested within her as it does with all runners, as Runner Vision: a visual mark on all objects that will aid a runner's escape or goals, usually a red glimmer or glow on said object. It was a little sad at this point, the brightness of the red glow emanating from Faith's peripheral vision was beyond the simple hint she usually felt, but more of a screaming urge to escape, escape this cop, escape this hacker, escape back to the hovel she came to call home, to the man she came to call her father, mentor, and big brother.

Merc's radio lied crushed under his deserted seat. As did all the radios of the runners he managed to find and intercept. Merc couldn't sit idly by when something this big was happening. All forms of remote communication that runners used were compromised, and the culprit would be found. All delivery runs were postponed, and some of the best runners out there were put on a search team for any sign of Faith. The streets below had no idea of the chaotic highways filled with frantic traffic flying all around, just above the surface.

"Everybody remember, keep moving, avoid the blues, and above all, find Faith. We find Faith, we may just find out what's been going on," Merc felt young again as he barked orders left and right. The cold night air stung his face as he leapt across a long gap and grasped a pipe, then hoisted himself up the edge of a gleaming black business building. He was followed by several recruits, some of whom he'd known for years and never saw face to face. Despite his bulkier build, his experience as a runner carried him faster than even the youngest of the sprinters.

Back in the silent police cruiser, Faith lowered the gun she had trained at the cop. The car sped along a painfully straight stretch of road through the squeaky clean landscape. The awkward silence was suddenly broken as the middle aged officer spoke for the first time since Faith stole his gun. "My name's Marcus," His words were plain and flat, a blue introduction if there ever was one. His voice loosely masked the air of arrogance behind his position. Faith could easily tell that he did not want to talk, but felt obligated to. He was annoyed at stooping to her level. Regardless, Faith returned the conversation with her own flat response, almost parodying him. "Nice to meet you Marcus, I'm Faith,"

"I can tell you hate me, just like all you runners hate cops. You know, we aren't all corrupt assholes. I've let most runners I've come across scoff free," He certainly got straight to his point. But Faith got to hers even quicker.

"If you weren't a corrupt asshole, you wouldn't be a blue in the first place. I can forgive some people for the choices they make, but most of you are all the same. Shoot, arrest, ask questions later. You don't care what we've been through, what we're doing, why we're fighting these changes that the city has been pushing on it's people, you just care about that nice, big, fat paycheck," Faith grew irritated as she spoke, thinking briefly about her sister Kate, wondering what could have possessed her to become a police officer, what would make her sign her soul away to the same people responsible for the deaths of both their parents.

"Look, I joined the force because I hated the real crimes in this city. The corruption, the murder, the thugs roaming the streets. When that all got washed away and locked up, so did my purpose. Maybe you're the one who asks questions later, Miss Faith," His sarcasm at the end of his last speech struck a nerve in Faith.

"I saw my parents shot to death in the riots. I've been running ever since, and I've been shot, pistol whipped, and have fallen four stories thanks to 'The Force', so you can take your badge and shove it up you're government sanctioned ass. Fucking tool…,"

"And I saw my dad trampled to death in the same riots by a bunch of rampant thugs. I've been drop kicked in the chest more times than I can count by your runner buddies you know. I've also had my arm broken and even ended up shot, by my own gun god dammit! And yet I still let you bastards go! Did you know that we are not only authorized, but encouraged to use deadly force when we encounter 'potential runners'? Ever since the Icarus project took flight, you runners became a social pariah. To us, you runners are supposed to be the drug dealers, the rapists, and the murderers of this city. And sometimes you are. Do you have any idea how many runners were delivering cocaine to their clients, and they didn't know it? Do you know how many of these runners are thieves, perverts, killers? Yeah, I bet you think I'm a close minded fool, but it's you runners that need to wake up, wake the hell up and think about what the fuck you're doing!" As spoke, the old cop's voice became a rising crescendo of anger, growing louder and louder.

Faith opened her mouth to yell back but found herself wordless. She looked at Marcus and for the first time, noticed the scars on his face, namely one on his neck that looked like a removed tattoo. Did he used to run? Before she could even question him on the matter, the dispatch radio squawked to life.

"_Officer Ray, we have a disturbance up high, code one 'C' 'R' five, an interception will be necessary at 251 Marx street, repeat, code one 'C' 'R' five, intercept at 251 Marx street,"_

Faith smirked. "What now, Mr. Marcus Ray?" She felt somewhat relieved, saved by the bell in a way.

Marcus grimaced and growled his next words. "1CR5… ICRS. Short for Icarus. Seems there's a severe commotion with some runners nearby and they need my help,"

"**Officer Marcus, you are to do as you were just ordered by your dispatch, be sure to allow Faith to leave the car. You are to stop two blocks away from 251 Marx Street. Faith, you are to proceed in the opposite direction and bring your bag to the rooftop of 100 Marx Street. You currently have seven minutes exactly to reach your destination"**

The radio blared once again, the mysterious, cold, female voice emanating from its speaker, sending a twist of fear to both Marcus and Faith's stomachs.

"I guess this is where we split up," Marcus muttered flatly. Faith now recognized the flatness as exhaustion, not haughtiness. She momentarily felt guilty. She wanted to talk more, but it seemed that they were getting nothing but green lights the entire drive. Before she knew it, they were there, two streets away from Marx street.

Marcus got out of the cruiser and popped the trunk open. He rummaged through its contents, donning a black helmet with a thick face guard, a plated navy blue vest, as well as matching shin and fore arm guards.

"You're a Pursuit," Faith realized out loud. Most Pursuits were ex runners or specially trained swat members who could run even better than the most experienced and dedicated runner. The tell tale signs added up in her head. Marcus was a runner some time in his past.

"There's a lot you assume about cops Faith. Hope I don't run into you again, for your sake. Get out of here, before she calls again,"

Faith gave Marcus one last glance before sprinting down the street and into an alley. She sprung from a wall and onto a nearby fire escape's ladder. She balanced on a clothesline and tottered from it to a nearby balcony, then clambered onto a rooftop. Prepared to head towards 100 Marx Street's roof, Faith also saw the newly renovated mall in the distance. She came face to face with a small T.V. screen sitting in front of a couch, hooked up to a generator, just sitting outside. The T.V. turned itself on, which Faith no longer questioned. On its screen, a complex web of images involving Faith, Kate, their parents, the riots, almost every moment in Faith's life up to that point was displayed. The cold female voice spoke from the small T.V. set.

"**This is you Faith. We have been watching you for a very long time. You have been activated for a reason."**

As the woman went on to say something else, a brick smacked into the screen, glass and sparks spluttering across the ground. Faith whipped around to see who the culprit was before the brick even made contact. Who she saw brought her both a sigh of relief and an intense fear that penetrated her chest and shook her deep within her spine as she realized what had just happened.

Merc stared at her with a confident smirk as two other veteran runners caught up to him.

"Hey there! Got half a pizza waiting for you back at home, you in?"

A piercing repetitive beep screeched from Faith's bag. As she struggled to open it, she realized with great horror what was inside. It was a timed signal flare. Time seemed to slow. Seconds became minutes as Faith dashed to the edge of the rooftop of 100 Marx street before the timer hit zero.

Three. Faith was nearly there. If this signal flare went off, it would attract enough bad attention to get everybody riddled with bullets or tazed into submission.

Two. Her foot reached the edge. Her arm reared back as she prepared to hurl the bag with all her might.

One. Her arm arched and the bag followed.

Just as she freed the strap of her fingers' grasp, the device inside the bag fired a bright red flare, a piercing siren reminiscent of an air raid signal screaming as the flare rocketed into the cool night air. Two nearby rooftop doors smacked open. Pursuit cops immediately broke into a sprint towards Faith, Merc, and the rest of their group. In the distance, the sounds of chopper blades beating the air and gunfire cut through the silence of the night. This was more than just a trap. This was a full scale war on all runners, something Faith, Merc, and the entire city was unprepared for.


	4. Chapter 4

Mirror's Eye

Chapter IV

"_Heaven is my judge, not I for love and duty, but seeming so for my peculiar end…"_

_-_**Iago, Shakespeare's "Othello"**

Faith, Merc, and the two veteran runners she didn't know, took in the image of the city's rooftops. Every runner in the city seemed to be out and either fighting or attempting to escape, more than likely all with the same goal. Three helicopters were visible. One was firing wildly as a group of runners who were deftly evading it, another dropping off several SWAT officers, who were pooling into a building where a runner or two no doubt managed to escape, and a third seemed to be heading straight towards the flare. Faith snapped out of her daze when Merc jerked her arm. She broke into an immediate sprint and vaulted over a small solar panel before leaping off the edge and tumbling onto a lower building. The helicopter spotted the small group and immediately gave chase. The Pursuit cops were also hot on the group's trail as they all sprinted across the rooftops of the city, negotiating each obstacle and pathway. Faith looked up in her frantic state and saw an animated billboard, gasping at its display.

BOARD THE HELICOPTER FAITH

Faith shook her head and continued to run. Merc and the two veterans eventually dropped to the alleyways. As Faith ran with them, she saw an LED display for a nearby pawn shop. The red letters scrolled across the screen and Faith managed to read them as she continued to run. "YES FAITH, EVADE BOTH GROUPS AND BOARD THE HELICOPTER!"

Faith skidded to a halt and sprinted backwards, breaking the line of surprised Pursuit cops and tearing herself away from Merc's group. She wished she had time to have mouthed the words "I'll be okay" before taking off, but she was sure Merc would understand. Climbing her way back to the rooftops, Faith noticed one determined pursuit cop following her, stun baton in hand. She leapt and grabbed onto the low flying helicopter's lowered ladder. As she climbed, so too did the Pursuit cop.

"Shit!" Faith yelped as she boarded the helicopter, ready to fight like the cornered animal she was. She kicked at the cop's face as he clambered in with her, her blows completely ineffective against the cop's armored face and chest. As she desperately fought, the Pursuit cop's training proved superior as he tapped her with the baton, sending a painful jolt through Faith's body, paralyzing her.

She came to moments later, her body tingling painfully as her eyes flickered open. Marcus stared at her, sweating and panting, his helmet removed. The helicopter's pilot continued to fly towards his destination, which appeared to be the mall.

"Marcus?" Faith whimpered, disgusted at how weak she sounded. She sat up, shaking off the tingles.

Marcus answered as best as he could between breaths. "Yeah… She wants me with you for some reason, I guess to keep you following orders. She's been yapping in my ear this whole time," He said, jerking his thumb at his ear, pointing out his radio.

"Why the hell did you taze me?" Faith yelled, her strength back, the tingling now isolated to her feet and palms.

"You were kicking me in the face, if I didn't stop you, you'd have thrown me clean out of the damned thing, and we're higher than your three story fall Faith,"

"It was four," She hissed, annoyed ever more at his condescension. The pilot waved his hands from the cockpit.

"Hey lovebirds, don't mean to break up the squabbling but my part in this crazy ass night is almost done. I'm dropping you off at this parking lot, I was told to tell the "female" to head to the mall and follow her previous orders using what she'll find under a red BMW in the parking lot with a vanity plate that says JANITOR,"

The abrasive pilot landed at the top of a parking complex and rushed Faith and Marcus off his bird before taking off. The war seemed so distant from this part of town, but still sirens of countless police cars were constantly speeding by, the distant pitter patter of gunfire still permeating any silence between the sirens.

Faith looked at Marcus, who left his helmet behind. She knew he had to be close to retirement. "Ready to go?" He asked, a little more kindness in his voice than before. Faith only nodded as they descended through the parking complex, scanning for the supposed car they had to find. Faith was the first to see it. She searched beneath it and snatched a yellow runner's bag from under its tire. "Understood," Marcus muttered, making Faith jump slightly. "She wants you to open it,"

Faith opened the bag and reached inside. She hesitantly placed a brand new earpiece in her ear, taking note of the rest of the bag's contents: A handgun, a locked box, and for some reason, a laptop.

"**Turn on the laptop Faith,"**

The radio hadn't been turned on for more than two seconds. Faith was annoyed at how enthusiastic this hacker could be despite the emotionless voice. She did as she was told. The moment the laptop blinked to life, Faith noticed a low whirring from inside it. Some sort of CD or DVD was being read. As the desktop was displayed, Faith noticed that the only icon besides the recycling bin was the DVD player. Marcus crouched next to her, curiously peering at the screen, his posture reminiscent of a silverback gorilla, wise, hunched, and arrogant; yet uneasy and inquisitive. In moments the screen immediately went black before showing a video file. Faith gasped as she saw just whose face she saw on the screen.

"Kate…"

Faith saw her twin sister, the sister who chose the life of a police officer, on the screen, in what appeared to be a conference room, a bulky shadow visible in the background, possibly SWAT guarding her exit.

"Hey sis… I want you to know that I'm okay. I'm not quite sure where I am, but I've been told to tell you that I will be released so long as you follow orders until you are no longer necessary. There's some sort of package you're supposed to take to the airport, it's in one of the subway tunnels. She told me… I think it was tunnel 6B? Listen, Faith… I want you to stay strong. We're both going to come out of this alive, okay? Just-"

The video abruptly cut to a black screen with a little audible static as it ended. Faith turned to Marcus and rubbed her left eye. "Lets go,"

Marcus chose to not acknowledge the visible tear in her right just waiting to fall as he quickly stretched and rested a hand on his stun baton before standing upright. Faith grasped the bag and slung it around her shoulder, leaving the laptop behind as she began jogging, then immediately picked up speed to vault over the edge of the parking complex and onto a stationary truck filled with soft cushion like materials that broke her fall. Marcus followed soon afterwards, the pair both dashing towards the back entrance. The electronic locks released themselves as Faith and Marcus approached the doors. Faith made her way through the closed mall, a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. It felt strange to be dashing through a place that was normally crowded, well lit, bustling with human activity; now devoid of life, empty, silent, almost pitch black if not for the skylights above allowing moonlight and occasional helicopter searchlights through, spilling illumination into the eerie black void.

Marcus felt reminded of being in a high school after class hours, but in this case there was no janitor prowling about, vacuuming and cleaning through the silence, no couples in the closets, no group practicing drama or band somewhere deep within it's depths.

The perplexed two made their way to the subway, the atmosphere equally as empty and awkward. For the first time in a long time, Faith truly wanted to know what time it was, how late it could be that she felt as though she were part of an urban exploration team.

Marcus whistled sharply and pointed out tunnel 6B. Faith really grew weary of how authoritative Marcus acted, even when it wasn't required of him. He even pointed with two fingers, as if he were directing traffic. Shrugging off the paunchiness, Faith ran towards 6B. On the tracks was another yellow bag. Faith sighed, dropped onto the tracks and scooped it up, a distant rumble shaking the ground under her feet. Her radio hissed to life.

"**Remove yourself from the tracks and proceed to the airport via the subway train,"**

"How could there possibly be a train to the airport? How are you doing all this?" Faith grew weary of everything seeming to control her. She felt choked off, she was no longer acting on her own.

"**We will ask the questions Faith. How far would you go to save your sister? Would you risk your life, the lives of your allies?"**

"What the hell did you do with Kate? Who the hell are you? Who is "we?" dammit?"

"_**We the people in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution for the United States of America,"**_

The sudden speech surprised Faith into silence. She was utterly confused, consumed by anger, hatred, and worry for Kate.

"Wait… what?"

Faith received no response. Her confusion was replied to by dead air.


	5. Chapter 5

Mirror's Eye

CHAPTER V

"_When the mouse is laughing at the cat, there is a hole nearby"_

_**-African Proverb**_

Marcus stood stoically by Faith's side, unable to make heads or tails of the mysterious hacker's last message. It seemed uncharacteristic of this person to speak in riddles, the woman normally making orders and demands with implied threats in the most plain, emotionless English he'd heard since his days in the police academy. Within moments, a subway train screeched to a halt in front of both of them. Faith was the first to step on and rest against the wall. Marcus sat down and drummed his fingertips together before stressfully running a hand through his thinning salt & pepper hair. The LCD display on one of the walls that normally displayed the train's location as it travelled was off, another odd sight.

Faith was lost in her own thoughts. Why would the woman suddenly quote the preamble to the constitution? Was it a hint? A threat? Was it simply a head game this sadistic lady was playing with her? Where could this woman have taken Kate? What was going on with the war that seemed to be waged on runners out of the blue? Was Merc okay? Question after question fired into her head, like a thousand obstacles in her path that she had no way to maneuver around. It was a situation Faith had no experience in. Never in her life did it seem like she had no control, no escape, no way out.

The LCD display lit up. On it was displayed an immense amount of information about Faith, just as was displayed on the television on the rooftop. The speakers that were normally used to announce stops and issues with the train blared with the woman's voice.

"**As previously stated Faith, you have been chosen for a reason. We require your compliance to initiate a coup against the enemies of the country. You are permitted to ask questions at this time,"**

To Faith's surprise, Marcus stood up and yelled.

"Okay, I've got a question. Just who in the hell are you? I want to know just what in the hell is going on here!"

"**At a date which can not be disclosed, the American government decided that the privacy of her citizens was of miniscule importance as compared to the safety of the country as a whole from an attack from within her boundaries. This ideal launched forth project Eagle Eye, a massive data collection and surveillance movement spearheaded by the Central Intelligence Agency as well as the Department of Homeland Security. An entire secret branch of government proved ineffective, and so NASA assisted in the creation of the system known as the Autonomous Reconnaissance Intelligence Integration Analyst,"**

The entire time as the cold female voice spoke, Marcus attempted to cut her off with angry yells. Faith, intent on the precious information they were receiving for a change, jabbed him in the gut and frantically tried to silence him while listening. Marcus grudgingly sat down, smacking his stun baton against the wall of the train, a small burst of yellow sparks punctuating his tirade.

Faith listened closely as the information flew by on the screens, noting that the name the voice spoke towards the end spelled out "ARIIA" very clearly on the display before it faded away shortly afterwards. She added up the contextual clues before asking her next question.

"So… you're name is ARIIA. ARIIA… you're some kind of computer?"

"**We are an artificial intelligence system built to protect the United States of America and her allies from an attack from within her borders. In summation, 'computer' is somewhat accurate,"**

Marcus simmered down and patted Faith on the shoulder as he spoke out loud.

"Is my family safe?"

"**Your children remain unharmed and will remain safe so long as you continue to follow orders and ensure that Faith follows hers. I have activated you because Faith has had a naturally rebellious spirit since her childhood, contrary to her sister Kate who was known for having a profound respect for authority even at ages as early as two years old,"**

Faith felt tears welling up at the mention of such old memories, family videos of the two of them playing cops & robbers, Faith being the latter, Kate being the former. She blinked the warmth away as she opened her mouth to ask another question before being interrupted.

**"Kate is being held in safe custody. The one you call Merc is evading capture, as well as a majority of the runners in the city, despite the level of action being taken against them. You are now two minutes from the airport. Upon reaching it, you are to follow my orders exactly. Disobey, and you will die,"**

The level on which ARIIA seemed to know Faith sent a shiver down her spine. A deep, primal fear gripped her as she realized that this long night was the night she secretly craved. A time when change came, sudden and ugly, crashing down on the city like a tidal wave. The time came for a war to tear apart the whitewashed landscape and allow the grit to stain the precious two way mirrored surfaces from which the powers that be looked down on the people. Despite her quaking inner fear, Faith felt an exhilaration she was not familiar with. Was this the revolution she ran with such determination for?

The train screeched to a halt and the automatic doors slid open. The subway station was dark, but light poured in through the entrance to the airport. A red dot blinked on the locking system for the station doors, before immediately becoming green with an accompanying "click" coming from the doors themselves. Faith ran; ready to burst through the door and sprint through the airport when Marcus grasped her wrist.

"Faith, just what the hell do you think you're doing?"

Hands moved before thoughts as Faith immediately initiated a counter to Marcus's grip. Marcus saw her counter coming and this time he was prepared. Faith's foot flew, aiming towards Marcus's ribs as she jerked the wrist Marcus had a grip on towards her. Marcus moved with her pull, dodging just out of the way of her kick, and swept her non kicking leg. Faith caught herself on her remaining arm as she fell, placing her swept leg just above his ankle and her kicking leg just behind his knee. Yanking on her gripped wrist again, Faith twisted her hips and forced Marcus to the ground with another scissor take down, this time the old cop landed forward, barely breaking his fall with his hands.

Faith planted her knee on his back and placed an elbow at the back of his neck, gently pushing his face against the floor. Her blood boiled as rage flooded her thoughts.

"Don't you ever grab me like that again," Faith's voice was almost as cold as that of ARIIA herself.

"I had to," Marcus spluttered, his face on the floor. "You have any idea how fast security would swarm on a runner in an airport making a scene? Damn it Faith, think!"

Realizing her dumb mistake, Faith eased off of Marcus's back and helped him up.

A silence occurred, heavy and thick, drenching the air in tension.

Fear crept into both Marcus and Faith's chests as they both simultaneously realized they were wasting time and their radios could blare on with ARIIA's unsympathetic voice at any moment.

Faith finally broke the silence.

"…I'm sorry. What do you suggest we do to not get noticed?"

Marcus frowned and scratched his chin.

"This whole conflict between the runners has to have hit the news by now. I have an idea; I just don't think you'll like it…"


	6. Chapter 6

Mirror's Eye Chapter VI

"I don't like this,"

Faith trotted through the airport, her hands cuffed behind her by plastic riot cuffs. Marcus lead her, keeping an eye out for anybody that may present a danger to them.

"Faith, it's better than any other way we can walk through here. I don't like it either, I don't like having my family threatened or being nearly kicked off a god damned helicopter, but we're going to get through this if it kills me," Marcus hissed in her ear, resolute and irritated.

Security and pedestrian alike gawk and stare, some doing double takes between the apparently apprehended runner and the news screen they watched whilst waiting for their flights. Faith made sure to appear defeated enough that none of the rent-a-cops would try to lend a helping hand in an attempt at assisting in playing hero. Marcus kept a steady gait as his training moved him through the busy yet spacious place. The airport's LED signs and advertising screens briefly turned into simple arrows for them to follow. The cameras seemed to keep a very close eye on both of their every move. The tension of being watched by everybody in the airport, knowing that something could go wrong or happen at any moment quickly began its toll on both Marcus and Faith. Beads of nervous sweat began to inch their way down the old cop's forehead, as Faith's palms became drenched in sweat.

"Sir, is everything okay here?" A security guard asked, coming seemingly from nowhere.

Faith's heart nearly leapt out of her chest as a bitter copper taste whipped her tongue, a tingle going through her whole body as adrenaline surged into action, prompting the worst question she could have been asked at the time: "Fight or flight?"

Marcus, sensing her surprise at the security guard's sudden intrusion, quickly jerked her by the arm before she could react, hoping she'd get the signal to stay in character.

"Everything is fine, I just managed to chase this runner down, she had me running all throughout the subway station but I've managed to subdue her,"

"I don't recognize your uniform,"

The security guard crossed his arms and pierced the duo with his gaze as he searched for warning signs of any sort.

"I'm a pursuit officer, trained through the Icarus program to take out runners like these"

"Ah. It's just that one could mistake you for a runner half heartedly attempting to impersonate an officer of the law, a very serious offense. Where are you taking this girl?"

Faith's legs tensed up, ready to run. Cuffed hands or not, she needed to escape.

"I've been ordered to uh, to take her to a special field agent nearby. For questioning,"

For somebody who made a career in interrogating and discerning when people lied during interrogation, Marcus was a terrible liar. He exhibited every sign in the book as he tried to think of how to avoid suspicion.

"…field agent huh? Sir, come to the security office, I have hereby determined you to be a threat in need of further investigation. We're going to review the camera footage and see if this little story of you heroically chasing down some rogue runner through the subway tunnels and emerging through the locked plexiglass subway doors has even a remote iota of truth to it,"

"God damn it…" Marcus thought to himself. Faith looked up at him briefly, as though she were silently asking him for permission to book it. Marcus picked up on the signal and subtly shook his head no as the security officer walked them both to a secluded office.

They both sat, Faith handcuffed to the chair by a pair of cuffs that belonged to the airport's security. Marcus knew that he couldn't unlock them with the key to his own metal cuffs and silently tried to think of a way to free faith as the security officer browsed through the footage. Faith observed the office and immediately marked her exits. She silently planned her escape, making sure not to betray her motives to neither Marcus nor the security guard.

"What in the fuckin… just what in the god damned hell is going on here?"

The security guard's sudden outburst alerted both Faith and Marcus. He stared blankly at the screen, befuddled at the white noise that was displayed in place of security footage. A loud bang erupted in the room. Faith managed to slip her hands out of the handcuffs and make a grab for the bag, reaching for the gun inside and firing into the security guard's back. He collapsed as Faith bolted forward, vaulting over the desk and bashing open the back door. Marcus immediately followed, hot on her heels as she peeled through the airport. TV screens and LED displays directed them both, before long security and federal agents were in on the chase as well. The airport was thrown into chaos as the game of cat, mouse, and dog ensued between Faith, Marcus, and the entirety of the airport's security personnel.

Bullets cut through the reinforced concrete all over the sprawling Mecca for travelers. The chaos seemed to be slowly escalating, a violent crescendo that forced Faith to slide, vault, and sprint in as many ways as she knew how to escape capture. Marcus followed like a shadow, closely behind her and mimicking almost every move she made. Fighting even for a moment would be a horrible decision, it would cease Faith's momentum, if only just for a moment, something she could not afford.

"**Faith and Marcus, you are to board the plane at gate 7. You have five minutes. If you value your lives and freedom, you will make the flight before the Pursuit police and SWAT reach the airport,"**

From both of the duo's radios blared the icy female voice. They both looked at each other for only a split second before simultaneously making a mad dash for gate 7, which seemed as though it were a mile away and within inches of their grasp at the same time. A squad of at least five security officers armed with night sticks awaited both Faith and Marcus. Faith broke the line by sliding on the ground between two confused officers. Marcus attempted to follow, but a night stick was smacked into his upper thigh. Marcus stumbled as two of the officers made a grab for him. He attempted to break free, swinging his stun baton into whoever got in his way, taking down one, two, three officers before the baton was wrenched from his hand as blow after blow from the remaining handful of officers' night sticks rained on his weary back.

Faith ran down the hall and was immediately rushed onto the plane by a few of the airport staff whom had been contacted by ARIIA. She sat down and caught her breath, wondering just where she was going in as many ways as one could interpret the words. Where would this plane take her? And where would she go after that? When would this ordeal be over? Question after question relentlessly pounded in her mind, craving answers more than her lungs could crave oxygen. She stared out the window, noticing the calm atmosphere just outside. In the airport, it was a chaotic mess of guns, batons, and running. Outside, it was simply business as usual.

Back in the airport, Marcus continued to fight, despite the growing number of security guards and cops. Hope began to slowly trickle away as utter crushing defeat crept into him. Visions of his wife flickered into his mind as a fist collided with his lower ribs, knocking the wind from him: their first date, their anniversary, holding her hand once as she gave birth to his first son, and again, fourteen years later as they had a daughter, and only one year after that as she fought against cancer and won. A night stick caught his cheek as he desperately fought towards gate 7, knowing that the life of his family, as well as his own, depended on him making it on that plane. Beyond the commotion, a rumble began as the plane's engine fired up, preparing for take off. Marcus threw off two attackers and desperately hurled himself further and further down the hallway towards the entrance of the plane. A blow to his solar plexus brought him to his knees. Marcus desperately tried not to vomit as his hands were cuffed behind him. He could see the door to the plane just as it began to close. Faith was nowhere in sight.

"Agh!"

Marcus's captor released him and clutched at his earpiece, a very audible high pitched beep screaming from within it. Utilizing the opening, Marcus sprinted into the door just as it closed. The bridging hallway between the airport and the plane began to collapse as the plane lazily drifted forward. Several of the cops began to tumble out and onto the pavement below as the plane made it's way to the runway.

The sky began to lose its black hue in favor of a deep blue. The plane picked up an enormous amount of speed as it sped down the runway. The loud roar of the engine seemed to escalate in a crescendo as the violence did before, dawn easing in and dispelling away the night sky as the plane lifted from that ground and screamed into the sky. Faith looked down at the city, seeing a handful of fires and spotting several helicopters as the war on runners continued. The sun shone brightly in her face as a tear rolled down her left cheek and her fist clenched angrily.


End file.
